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Baker girls soccer team beats Pendleton, 3-1

Baker High School’s girls soccer team overcame some rough play and
turned aside a penalty kick late in the game to earn a road victory
over Pendleton Tuesday, 3-1.

“It was a rough game,” said coach DeeDee Clarke. “There were very aggressive girls both ways.”

Ashley Shively and Dallas Defrees opened the scoring by teaming up on a
corner kick. Shively earned the assist and Defrees put the ball in the
net with one touch from her left foot.

“It was a pretty goal,” Clarke said.

Shively upped the margin to 2-0 late in the first half when, after a
Pendleton foul, she lofted a ball from about midfield that went just
over the goalkeeper’s head and into the net.

“That,” Clarke said, “was beautiful.”

The Bucks came back early in the second half. The Baker defense was drawn one way and Pendleton’s goal-scorer went the other to draw the contest to 2-1.

“(Goalkeeper) Kristen Hoopes had no chance,” Clarke said. “There was nobody there to help her on the back side, so they snuck in the back door. That took our cushion away.”

Not for long. From about 18 yards out, Baker’s Mackenzie Warner fired a shot past the Pendleton keeper to again give her team a two-goal advantage.

“That’s her job — to pick up the trash and make something happen,” Clarke said. “There was nothing their keeper could have done. It was a blast to the top of the net.”

Even with a two-goal advantage there was a bit of nail-biting along the sideline. The officials were calling the game very closely, Clarke said, and Baker was whistled for a foul inside Hoopes’ goalkeeper box late in the game.

Pendleton was awarded a penalty kick from point-blank range. Hoopes guessed right and leaped to the same side the kicker chose, pushing the ball wide of the goal.

“Kristen just hunkered down, and it provided us a big lift,” Clarke said. “It’s nice to end things on a big stop. All the girls were fired up.”